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Wings of Fate
The Trials choose who survives. For Elara, the fiercest battle is the one inside.
Elara Hawthorne thought the dragon trials were all about strength—until she met Zander, the rival who sees something worth fighting for, and Silas, the enemy whose hatred feels far too personal to ignore.
Every deadly challenge is a test of combat, dragon riding, and magic that can kill as easily as it protects.
But the trials aren’t her only danger. The hunters are closing in. Loyalties are fragile. And the forbidden pull between enemies could destroy Elara long before the dragons make their choice.
In a competition where betrayal is common, love is dangerous, and only the ruthless endure, discovering who she truly is might be the hardest trial of all.
Wings of Fate is a romantasy debut perfect for readers who
Dragons and dragon riders
Enemies-to-lovers & love triangles
Fated mates and forbidden romance
Deadly magical trials with high stakes
Elara Hawthorne thought the dragon trials were all about strength—until she met Zander, the rival who sees something worth fighting for, and Silas, the enemy whose hatred feels far too personal to ignore.
Every deadly challenge is a test of combat, dragon riding, and magic that can kill as easily as it protects.
But the trials aren’t her only danger. The hunters are closing in. Loyalties are fragile. And the forbidden pull between enemies could destroy Elara long before the dragons make their choice.
In a competition where betrayal is common, love is dangerous, and only the ruthless endure, discovering who she truly is might be the hardest trial of all.
Wings of Fate is a romantasy debut perfect for readers who
Dragons and dragon riders
Enemies-to-lovers & love triangles
Fated mates and forbidden romance
Deadly magical trials with high stakes
545 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
April 14, 2026
Great Idea but Painful Read
I loved the /idea/ of this book. Dragon trials, deadly competition, sponsors, slow burn romance, and magic? That should have been an easy win for me.
Instead, this felt like a mashup of every major romantasy touchstone from the last couple of decades without understanding why the reader enjoyed any of those elements in the first place. You can see the influences everywhere: death-game spectacle and sponsors (but also society doesn't care maybe half their kids die and maybe it's encouraged?) shadow-boy tension (ish..), prophecy bloodline reveals (there had to be an awkward rhyme somewhere), wolf-boy energy (got sidelined), and dragon-rider branding (feels forgotten for over 80% of the book). Instead of building something fresh out of those ingredients, the book piles them on until it starts to feel like an assembled mashup of every romantasy over the past 15 years.
My biggest issue was the prose. It constantly tells you what a moment “really” is instead of letting the scene stand on it's own. Nearly every page has some variation of: it wasn’t just X, it was Y. (y being totally more edgy and cool sounding) Or another favorite: X, yes, but also Y. I ended up highlighting more than EIGHTY instances of that pattern, and I did not even start marking them until I was already about 20% into the book. It became distracting, immersion breaking, and honestly weirdly mechanical.
The writing also leans very hard on overexplaining emotion. Instead of letting the reader experience fear, tension, grief, attraction, or dread through the scene, the narration keeps stepping in to (let me take use another literary trick the book used an awkward amount): Not just label it. Amplify it. Repackage it. It feels less like being inside the main character’s head (whos PoV the narration is supposed to be from) and more like being told what to feel from above.
The wildest part is that this is supposed to be a dragon-rider story, and the dragons barely matter for most of the book. They feel less like the foundation of the world and more like a delayed reminder of the marketing pitch.
There are interesting ideas here. I can see the outline of a much better book hiding underneath the one I actually read. But for me, the execution was overwhelmed by repetitive prose, borrowed tropes, shaky worldbuilding, and a constant sense that the story was performing intensity instead of earning it.
A great premise. A frustrating read.
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS: (After thoughts)
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I am left with so many questions. How did this bond/pact/whatever help the dragons originally? Seems like these humans had magic without them. Surely there was another sanctuary island for them all. Where are the parent's dragons?!? And if they are so famous and well loved, why did no one care they are randomly publicly executed at the end of the book?!? Why is this death school publicly endorsed??? Encouraged even? But somehow the rules are a suprise despite everyone's parents seemingly living or at least watching them at some point in their lives. Why do we just go "okay: this is a melee now please fight to the death among yourselves" but you can randomly team up and that's.. fine? Could you all just choose not to fight then? Maybe that doesn't work on the first one or two trials but... Also why did we build up the main character not having magic for so long just to spend two seconds going, oh she can port places now. Neat. Let's never talk about that again. So many questions frustratingly unanswered or acknowledged - and not even due to intrigue.
I loved the /idea/ of this book. Dragon trials, deadly competition, sponsors, slow burn romance, and magic? That should have been an easy win for me.
Instead, this felt like a mashup of every major romantasy touchstone from the last couple of decades without understanding why the reader enjoyed any of those elements in the first place. You can see the influences everywhere: death-game spectacle and sponsors (but also society doesn't care maybe half their kids die and maybe it's encouraged?) shadow-boy tension (ish..), prophecy bloodline reveals (there had to be an awkward rhyme somewhere), wolf-boy energy (got sidelined), and dragon-rider branding (feels forgotten for over 80% of the book). Instead of building something fresh out of those ingredients, the book piles them on until it starts to feel like an assembled mashup of every romantasy over the past 15 years.
My biggest issue was the prose. It constantly tells you what a moment “really” is instead of letting the scene stand on it's own. Nearly every page has some variation of: it wasn’t just X, it was Y. (y being totally more edgy and cool sounding) Or another favorite: X, yes, but also Y. I ended up highlighting more than EIGHTY instances of that pattern, and I did not even start marking them until I was already about 20% into the book. It became distracting, immersion breaking, and honestly weirdly mechanical.
The writing also leans very hard on overexplaining emotion. Instead of letting the reader experience fear, tension, grief, attraction, or dread through the scene, the narration keeps stepping in to (let me take use another literary trick the book used an awkward amount): Not just label it. Amplify it. Repackage it. It feels less like being inside the main character’s head (whos PoV the narration is supposed to be from) and more like being told what to feel from above.
The wildest part is that this is supposed to be a dragon-rider story, and the dragons barely matter for most of the book. They feel less like the foundation of the world and more like a delayed reminder of the marketing pitch.
There are interesting ideas here. I can see the outline of a much better book hiding underneath the one I actually read. But for me, the execution was overwhelmed by repetitive prose, borrowed tropes, shaky worldbuilding, and a constant sense that the story was performing intensity instead of earning it.
A great premise. A frustrating read.
HERE THERE BE SPOILERS: (After thoughts)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
I am left with so many questions. How did this bond/pact/whatever help the dragons originally? Seems like these humans had magic without them. Surely there was another sanctuary island for them all. Where are the parent's dragons?!? And if they are so famous and well loved, why did no one care they are randomly publicly executed at the end of the book?!? Why is this death school publicly endorsed??? Encouraged even? But somehow the rules are a suprise despite everyone's parents seemingly living or at least watching them at some point in their lives. Why do we just go "okay: this is a melee now please fight to the death among yourselves" but you can randomly team up and that's.. fine? Could you all just choose not to fight then? Maybe that doesn't work on the first one or two trials but... Also why did we build up the main character not having magic for so long just to spend two seconds going, oh she can port places now. Neat. Let's never talk about that again. So many questions frustratingly unanswered or acknowledged - and not even due to intrigue.
August 5, 2026
For Elara going into the trials was just something her family did it was tradition expected of someone in her family, the thing was she had waited and trained for 20 years because she knew this day would come but she also thought her magic would come like everyone else.. it never did. So she must go into the dragon trials with nothing more than he heart set hoping it's enough to guide her true, her blade sharp enough to cut down her opponents and the skills her father has trained into her over the years.
What she wasn't expecting was for Silas to hate her as if it was personal and others to aim at her just to try and eliminate a spot quickly. She forms friendships hoping she chose wisely because she knows loyalty isn't a guarantee in these games. The longer she is here the more she learns about who she is and what she actually means to this trial and what type of target that paints on her back. With her friends by her side they face each trial head on against the odds they embrace the losses while never forgetting them.
They uncover conspiracies that run deep within the walls of them and in the trials themselves never certain of who they can and can't trust. One thing is certain the longer they last the more difficult it gets and the next day isnt guaranteed. Who will make it to the end and how much more will they suffer along the way to freeing the island from the dragon hunters.
What she wasn't expecting was for Silas to hate her as if it was personal and others to aim at her just to try and eliminate a spot quickly. She forms friendships hoping she chose wisely because she knows loyalty isn't a guarantee in these games. The longer she is here the more she learns about who she is and what she actually means to this trial and what type of target that paints on her back. With her friends by her side they face each trial head on against the odds they embrace the losses while never forgetting them.
They uncover conspiracies that run deep within the walls of them and in the trials themselves never certain of who they can and can't trust. One thing is certain the longer they last the more difficult it gets and the next day isnt guaranteed. Who will make it to the end and how much more will they suffer along the way to freeing the island from the dragon hunters.
October 3, 2025
I really really didn’t know how to rate this one.
If it wasn’t almost a copy of Fourth wing it would be 5*
Spoilers below……
Things I didn’t like:
It’s fourth wing, deadly trials to become a dragon rider. The dragons choose the rider. The dragon that picks the female lead (who is weaker then her peers) is the biggest Dragon who never bonds with a rider, until this female comes along. He is also the leader of the Dragons, so basically we have Tairn and Violet.
Her inner circle, you have the beautiful warrior, the funny one, the serious one etc aka Ridoc and co from fourth wing
The fact the female kept telling us how weak she was without magic and how much she had to prove.
That when she came into her magic it happened in 1 paragraph. One minute she didn’t have anything and then tada 2 sentences later she has magic. The plot is very fast moving.
Things I did like
I LOVE a slow burn and this was great!!! It’s hard to find a serious enemies to lovers book, where they generally are enemies, I mean he even tries to kill her. The tension and slow burn is very well written and it’s the reason I gave it 3 stars.
The trials were pretty exciting to read!
Couple I things I didn’t see coming.
I will read the next but I really hope the author can step away from the FW series as she has some good ideas and some good characters.
If it wasn’t almost a copy of Fourth wing it would be 5*
Spoilers below……
Things I didn’t like:
It’s fourth wing, deadly trials to become a dragon rider. The dragons choose the rider. The dragon that picks the female lead (who is weaker then her peers) is the biggest Dragon who never bonds with a rider, until this female comes along. He is also the leader of the Dragons, so basically we have Tairn and Violet.
Her inner circle, you have the beautiful warrior, the funny one, the serious one etc aka Ridoc and co from fourth wing
The fact the female kept telling us how weak she was without magic and how much she had to prove.
That when she came into her magic it happened in 1 paragraph. One minute she didn’t have anything and then tada 2 sentences later she has magic. The plot is very fast moving.
Things I did like
I LOVE a slow burn and this was great!!! It’s hard to find a serious enemies to lovers book, where they generally are enemies, I mean he even tries to kill her. The tension and slow burn is very well written and it’s the reason I gave it 3 stars.
The trials were pretty exciting to read!
Couple I things I didn’t see coming.
I will read the next but I really hope the author can step away from the FW series as she has some good ideas and some good characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 14, 2025
Fast paced & Fun
This book reminded me a lot of Fourth Wing with some Hunger Games elements.
I really enjoyed it! I wish there was more talk about the dragons, or introduction earlier on. The pacing was good and the characters were interesting enough. Loved the love interest from the beginning and can’t wait to see where he goes from here with Elara!
The world was intriguing but I wish there was more world building in this first book. I was also confused on the time period — I know fantasy books can be whatever but at the beginning I was under the impression it was old school fantasy and then all of a sudden it’s talking about cameras and moving stages etc. Don’t get me wrong — that part was cool. I just found myself confused. I devoured this book in under 24 hours though so I think that speaks for itself.
I give 4 stars because there are some editing/writing errors that took me out of the story a bit.
This book reminded me a lot of Fourth Wing with some Hunger Games elements.
I really enjoyed it! I wish there was more talk about the dragons, or introduction earlier on. The pacing was good and the characters were interesting enough. Loved the love interest from the beginning and can’t wait to see where he goes from here with Elara!
The world was intriguing but I wish there was more world building in this first book. I was also confused on the time period — I know fantasy books can be whatever but at the beginning I was under the impression it was old school fantasy and then all of a sudden it’s talking about cameras and moving stages etc. Don’t get me wrong — that part was cool. I just found myself confused. I devoured this book in under 24 hours though so I think that speaks for itself.
I give 4 stars because there are some editing/writing errors that took me out of the story a bit.
June 19, 2026
This book had "ideas". I legit skimmed 70% of the book and easily kept up. Its extremely over explained for simple things. Theres basically no plot. Dragons? What dragons? They didnt show up until past 75% 💀 the magic was subpar, tension was meh, i was super excited for this book bc im a SUCKER for dragon books. This one completely missed the mark 😭 the writing was all over the place, repeating the same things multiple times. It feels like this book was rushed maybe? This could have been an amazing book if it was thought out more. Overall really disappointing. Normally i can finish a 500+ page book in less than 5 hours. It took me SIX DAYS to drag my ghostly corpse through this book🥺😭
November 22, 2025
Loved it!
This storyline is so good! Heartbreaking at times. Those trials were intense. And the mystery behind the prophecy. The enemy to love was so good!
I really like how it didn't feel like it waa being dragged out
My biggest pet peeve of mine is the phrase " I let out a breath I didn't realize I waa holding". It was used 5 times. Yes, I counted. Lol. that is my only negative thing I can honestly say about this book.
I can honestly say that this book has left me wanting more!!
This storyline is so good! Heartbreaking at times. Those trials were intense. And the mystery behind the prophecy. The enemy to love was so good!
I really like how it didn't feel like it waa being dragged out
My biggest pet peeve of mine is the phrase " I let out a breath I didn't realize I waa holding". It was used 5 times. Yes, I counted. Lol. that is my only negative thing I can honestly say about this book.
I can honestly say that this book has left me wanting more!!
March 29, 2026
Omg! So good! Brutal trials, powers, dragon hunters, bonded dragons, family secrets, evil villain, prophesy! Fourth wing and hunger games mixed in one. The deadly trials and the love triangle! Oh the angst and yearning! I need book 2 after that explosive ending!
May 26, 2026
Does it get better? I got 34% of the way through it and I couldn't stand any of the characters except maybe one. The main character was probably the most annoying. I haven't read a book that frustrated me so quickly in a long time.
September 22, 2025
Absolutely loved it! The writing kept me hooked from start to finish
October 10, 2025
A very enjoyable and definitely addictive read!
Looking forward to finding out how this epic tale progresses in the 2nd book of the series.
Looking forward to finding out how this epic tale progresses in the 2nd book of the series.
January 5, 2026
suspiciously like a number of best sellers, was ok though...
April 6, 2026
Good, but not great. A lot of similar tropes and storylines to Fourth Wing.
July 1, 2026
Great book
Where is the next book.
I love this and want more.
I hope a second one is coming soon.
Was definitely a great read if you love
Mythical books.
Where is the next book.
I love this and want more.
I hope a second one is coming soon.
Was definitely a great read if you love
Mythical books.
August 23, 2026
Hunger Games meets Fourth Wing
5 stars!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat. Brooding enemies to lovers, can’t wait for the rest of the series.
5 stars!!! Kept me on the edge of my seat. Brooding enemies to lovers, can’t wait for the rest of the series.
September 19, 2025
A great read. Looking forward to the next one!
I didn’t see the ending coming. The trials were amazing.
I didn’t see the ending coming. The trials were amazing.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews